Anonymous Gambler: Texans' J.J. Watt a good bet for awards

Given the underwhelming list of quarterbacks he'll be chasing over the coming weeks, the Texans' J.J. Watt may have multiple individual awards waiting for him.

Photo: Michael Ciaglo/Staff photographer

Remember when we told you to take T.J. Watt over his brother in the race for the most sacks?

Um, forget that. J.J. Watt is now a good pick for not only Comeback Player of the Year, but at 8/1, he is a nice payoff for another Defensive Player of the Year honor. Should the Texans defense continue to stiffen, and it should considering the young and unsteady quarterbacks left on the schedule (Blake Bortles twice, Brock Osweiler, Case Keenum, Marcus Mariota, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold), Watt could make a run for Defensive Player of the Year.

It could prove to be the case — J.J. Watt has a 7-6 lead over his younger brother — but it looks like J.J. has worked his way back to full start level, as the odds to win the Defensive Player of the Year show.

I'm not afraid to toot my own horn, and after I offered so much quality advice last week this would be a good time to do so.

OK, I blew the Texans pick over the Bills. Even though I nailed it that the Bills couldn't possibly score more than 13 points, silly me had no idea that the Texans were so afraid of playing Brandon Weeden that they would risk playing a quarterback with a partially collapsed lung.

Aside from the local squad, which is now 1-5 against the spread this season, my other NFL mentions not only nailed a point spread outcome, they were outright winners for underdogs. And none of them were even close.

You're welcome.

Here they are:

Comment: "Take Pittsburgh plus-3 at Cincinnati."Result: Steelers were 3-point dogs and won 28-21.

Comment: "After the Eagles spank the Giants tonight, their odds will change."Result: Eagles were 2-point underdogs and won 34-13.

Comment: The Ravens will beat the Titans in Nashville and make last week's loss sting even more."Result: Ravens were 2½-point underdogs and won 21-0.

•••

Along those lines, I told you to jump on the Eagles to win the Super Bowl at 40/1 because those numbers would change after they rolled the Giants. That is indeed the case.

Anonymous Gambler’s wagering experience dates to the bookie operation he started in the third grade at an HISD elementary school. The college bowl season proved to be quite lucrative, but the business went under when several “clients” refused to pay their debts. AG’s math skills far exceeded his fighting ability and desire, so collecting was an issue. AG brought the business back briefly in the sixth grade, with a hired enforcer on the payroll. It was a wonderful, but short run, because his enforcer moved to the other side of town.

AG didn’t do any serious gambling until he took up blackjack on trips to Las Vegas in his 20s. One of his proudest moments was being asked to leave Palace Station Casino on a card-counting accusation because of an impressive run. AG fell in love with poker the very first time he played, winning several hundred dollars off a group of yuppies at a bachelor party despite barely knowing the rankings of hands. He dove into poker big-time, and has since played in underground games all over Houston, and at casinos and card rooms from major cities in Europe to small towns in Wisconsin. While he prefers cash games to tournaments, the World Series of Poker is high on his bucket list. AG is fascinated by and studies most aspects of gambling – remember, poker isn’t gambling – but aside from occasionally playing in a fantasy football league, and trips to the race track, he doesn’t bet on sports.

“I find sports entertaining enough without having to bet on games,” he says. “Plus, most athletes and coaches do not care about point spreads. So why should I put my money in their hands?”